, a professor at the University of Tokyo, and Ryu Funahashi, leader of a group of graduate students who made a tiny cubical satellite, shown in bottom photo provided by Nakasuka, weep with joy Oct. 27 after the first signal from the craft was received as it passed over Japan.

It is the second such satellite placed in orbit. The first was sent up in June 2003.

Our Planet

A coral reef in Okinawa in July 2022. Some jurisdictions around the world have moved to ban certain sunscreens in a bid to protect coral reefs, but some say the impact on reefs is far from clear.
Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan